This invention relates to micrometer scale and nanometer-scale electromechanical assemblies and systems. In particular, the present invention relates to electromechanical assemblies based on suspended nanotubes or other molecular-scale electrically conductive and mechanically flexible wires. These assemblies may be used in a variety of systems for applications, such as motors, generators, pumps, fans, compressors, propulsion systems, transmitters, receivers, heat engines, heat pumps, magnetic field sensors, magnetic field generators, inertial energy storage and acoustic energy conversion.
Molecular wires, such as carbon nanotubes, can now be assembled and grown into structures. However, current nanometer and micrometer structures provide limited functionality. It is therefore desirable to provide nanometer-scale and micrometer scale electromechanical structures that can utilized in a wide variety of applications.
As the use of electronic devices continues to flourish, there is an ever increasing need to provide more efficient and/or quieter ways to cool the components that are typically the heart of such devices. For example, most personal computers include one or more fans that are required to maintain the temperature of the microprocessor within a certain operational range. These fans are often noisy, and often result in large quantities of dirty air being pulled through the computer from the air intakes.
Furthermore, conventional vacuum pumps and heat engines generally have a large number of moving parts that wear with use. These vacuum pumps and heat engines are also fabricated on the meter to micro-meter scale. It is therefore desirable to provide low wear pumps and engines that can be fabricated on the nanometer-scale.